Unai Emery sees Aston Villa confidence restored after Man City win

Matty Cash scored the only goal of the game from a well-worked corner routine, with Villa then showing supreme commitment in the second half as they held on for the victory, becoming the first team in more than two months to stop Erling Haaland scoring.

Emery said: “Today the match in 90 minutes was a very good summary of the work we did in the last three years.

“There was confidence in our gameplan, the commitment to do our work and our task.

“Ollie Watkins didn’t score but played a fantastic game. Morgan Rogers played a fantastic game.

“Then we are scoring through a set piece with Matty Cash and we are winning and happy with the structure and our commitment.”

Villa have become the first team since Preston in 1937 to not win any of their first five league matches and then win four on the spin.

Sunday’s victory lifted them into the top half of the Premier League table and Emery believes his team are now back to looking like the one which has qualified for Europe for three straight seasons.

“We started very poor, the season. We had doubts. We were not feeling good,” he said.

“How we are reacting, particularly this week against Tottenham away and Manchester City at home, how the players are showing their commitment and following the gameplan is fantastic.

“Through it and the quality of the players we can begin to feel confident and get results like this.

“How we are competing now is giving us confidence. The positive energy we got from the fans, we are beginning to feel a little bit again the fortress here.

“Teams coming here, of course, can beat us. But we have to get the level as high as we can. There is still work to do but we are getting balance.”

Norway international Haaland had plundered 24 goals in 14 matches for club and country before drawing a blank at Villa Park.

It was only the second time this season he had failed to find the net, while the 25-year-old has not scored against Villa during Emery’s reign.

Haaland briefly thought he had levelled in the 90th minute only to be denied by an offside flag.

Emery admitted it had required a team effort to keep him out.

“We tried tactically and in individual performance to get duels with him, intelligently, with the power we showed,” said the boss.

“Then we had some help from defensive cover and also the goalkeeper. We needed everything to stop him.”

Villa are assessing Emi Buendia after the playmaker was forced off in the first half with what appeared to be a foot injury. The Argentine had earlier provided the pass from which Cash scored the only goal of the afternoon.